'Under the Dome' star enjoyed Port City charm

Published: Saturday, August 24, 2013 at 3:00 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, August 23, 2013 at 12:39 p.m.

Beverly Hills, Calif. | It's been almost a month since "Under the Dome" costar Jolene Purdy left Wilmington, and she already misses the place. Just not the bugs.

"The bugs are awful. I had to wear nylons so you couldn't see the little no-see-um bites," the actress said recently at a CBS party during the Television Critics Association press tour.

But she does have fond memories of filming the first season of the CBS drama around the Port City.

"Everybody there is so nice. You're at the grocery store and people ask you how your day is, and they're not looking to get anything out of you. Being from California, L.A. specifically, people don't just do that."

When Purdy first signed on to the series, in which she plays radio station engineer Dodee, she didn't expect to be moving across the country.

"When they said Wilmington, I thought they meant in California. I live in Long Beach, so I was like, that's great, that's easy. Then my manager was like, 'Oh no no no. Three thousand miles the other way.' But it was fun. I had never been to the South before."

Now Purdy is happy to be back home in California with her puppy and husband, who she said inspires her take on her character.

"I'm not the most tech-savvy person. My husband is an audio engineer – he's the scientist in the family – so Dodee takes after him. She's brilliant, and the dome is like a big puzzle for her to solve."

In one recent episode, Dodee built a device to help track mysterious interference linked to the invisible, impenetrable dome surrounding the small town of Chester's Mill.

The dome has cut off communication with the outside world, and no sound can get through, which makes Dodee's knowledge of sign language especially helpful.

Purdy had to take a crash course with a special tutor to learn an extensive signing sequence featured in a recent episode.

"I really got to dive in. She could read lips a little, but I had to really start signing and learning."

Purdy will return to Wilmington next spring to start filming a second season of the show, assuming Dodee survives that long. The show hasn't been afraid to kill off characters, and that kind of unpredictability is part of the show's appeal, Purdy said.

"If the dome were to really happen – the show does a good job of portraying that. It mirrors loss in life – there's panic, there's sadness, and there's all different kinds of reactions to the news from people."

<p>Beverly Hills, Calif. | It's been almost a month since "Under the Dome" costar Jolene Purdy left Wilmington, and she already misses the place. Just not the bugs.</p><p>"The bugs are awful. I had to wear nylons so you couldn't see the little no-see-um bites," the actress said recently at a CBS party during the Television Critics Association press tour.</p><p>But she does have fond memories of filming the first season of the CBS drama around the Port City.</p><p>"Everybody there is so nice. You're at the grocery store and people ask you how your day is, and they're not looking to get anything out of you. Being from California, L.A. specifically, people don't just do that."</p><p>When Purdy first signed on to the series, in which she plays radio station engineer Dodee, she didn't expect to be moving across the country.</p><p>"When they said Wilmington, I thought they meant in California. I live in Long Beach, so I was like, that's great, that's easy. Then my manager was like, 'Oh no no no. Three thousand miles the other way.' But it was fun. I had never been to the South before."</p><p>Now Purdy is happy to be back home in California with her puppy and husband, who she said inspires her take on her character.</p><p>"I'm not the most tech-savvy person. My husband is an audio engineer – he's the scientist in the family – so Dodee takes after him. She's brilliant, and the dome is like a big puzzle for her to solve." </p><p>In one recent episode, Dodee built a device to help track mysterious interference linked to the invisible, impenetrable dome surrounding the small town of Chester's Mill.</p><p>The dome has cut off communication with the outside world, and no sound can get through, which makes Dodee's knowledge of sign language especially helpful. </p><p>Purdy had to take a crash course with a special tutor to learn an extensive signing sequence featured in a recent episode.</p><p>"I really got to dive in. She could read lips a little, but I had to really start signing and learning."</p><p>Purdy will return to Wilmington next spring to start filming a second season of the show, assuming Dodee survives that long. The show hasn't been afraid to kill off characters, and that kind of unpredictability is part of the show's appeal, Purdy said.</p><p>"If the dome were to really happen – the show does a good job of portraying that. It mirrors loss in life – there's panic, there's sadness, and there's all different kinds of reactions to the news from people."</p><p>Nicolien Buholzer contributed to this report.</p>